Paneling



Oct. 2, 1951 F. RlENAU ETAL PANELING Filed March 6, 1948 INVENTORS 5850 3/5/1040 BY (/0/ /A/ f? Z-BMA/N Patented Oct. 2, 1951 PANELING Fred Rienau,-:Ridgewood, and John F. Germain, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application Maren 6, 1948, Serial No. 1 3,433

3 Glaims.

ll. This invention relates to improvements inpan- 'ellingwhich can be made of plywood, wood, plastics, metal, or any other suitablematerial.

:As presently constructed, the panelling of an interior wall or ceiling requires the services of highly'skilled craftsmen who must cut'thepanels and backing on the jobnail the-backing to the existing wall or'studding, then cut and nail the lpanelsto thebacking. This is a costlyoperation, both in labor andmaterial, as there is, inevitably, a wasteof material in cutting the panels, and the'work is exacting and lengthy. Furthermore, the panel edges must be nailed to the backing,

'--l"eaving 'rows of nailheads showing, which must either be filled up or left unsightly.

The invention contemplates the provision of 'pre-cut or fabricatedpanels, grooved on all four edges thereof, designed'forassembly with pre-cut s' tripping, or "backing, which are complementally gro'ov ed on opposite transverse edges.

This construction iscapable-o'f being assembled "by 'unskilledw'orkers, home owners and the like,

to fulfill all dimensional requirements, to produce panelling which, in aesthetic and workmanship characteristics, is the equivalent of the job produced by skilled workmen constructed at but a fraction of the costof the latter. Furthermore, thepanelling may be used for exterior wallfacing and ceiling.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view, partially broken away, of one of the panel element's.

Fig. 2 is an end view of one of the panels.

I Fig. 3 is an isometric vii-iv.ofo'n'e of thevertical backing.

Fig. '4 is-anend view of the backing.

Fig. 5 is a front view of a section of a wall panelling embodying the invention.

Fig. 6 is a cross-section taken along 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 71s a view similar to Fig. 6 of 'alinbdified backing both faces of which are 'unmilled.

Like reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts in the following description.

Essentially the invention contemplates the provision of a plurality of prefabricated panels, designed for assembly with prefabricated backing. The term backing as hereinbefore stated is an all inclusive term which will be employed to include stripping, backing filling strips or any other members designed as horizontally or laterally spaced supports. The term panel includes any sheet of relatively stifi? material made of plywood, wood, plastics, metal or any other suitable material. The term panelling includes any interio'r or'exterior "wall facing in which the individual panels are spaced'apart'from and su'piported by the backing.

Panels 5 are square and relatively thin with minimum size of panels, with faces sand "I. The panels are routed, at all four edges thereof,

tode'fi'ne bevel groove 8 having relatively deep bevels 9 and straight edges 10, the peripheral edge of 'face -6 meeting or coinciding with the outer edges of bevels 9.

Panels 5, as illustrated are of relatively small size, for illustrative purposes, but it will be understood that the panels may be constructed of any de'siredor suitable size and shape or thickness.

*And'we have found that this construction is the only one which will permit of the use "of thin,

that is A," panels.

'fiooper'ating with and designed to support and space apart panels 5 are vertical backing l l and horizontal backing 12, having milled face 1:3 and face I4. Members Ill and l-2' are routed at two opposite'lon'gitudinal edges to form bevel groove I5 c-omplemental to bevel groove 8 of panels 5, said bevel groove l5 having bevels [Band straight edges H. The outer most edges of bevels I 6 meet or coincide with the upper and lower edges of race l4. 'Backing H and Has willbe-notd i n cement, nails, or in any other suitable manner.

"Backing l-2,it should be noted, may be suitably cut to *dimensionallyfit the size of the wall base,

as will beunderstood by any artisan, or layman who is capable of using a tape or rule. Thebacking employed as the base'ma-y, if desired, be wider than that shown, for decorative purposes, but this is purely optional.

Next, the center of the Wallis determined and when dead center is marked vertical backing II is secured to the wall milled face l3 inward, a panel 5 is interlocked at one edge with the complemental bevel grooved edge of backing I2, one of the other adjacent edges being interlocked with the complemental bevel grooved edge of backing l I. The manner in which panels 5 interlock with backing II and I2 to a nicety is well illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 with the complemental bevel grooves B and l 5 interlocking to form a tight interlocking fit.

Having placed one panel 5 in interlocking engagement at two edges with the vertical and horizontal backing, another vertical backing is interlocked at an opposite edge of the panel to the first fixed vertical backing, and the work similarly proceeded with to the right and left of center until the first row of panelling is positioned. Next a second row of horizontal backing is interlocked with the top edges of the first row of panels and the backing nailed, cemented, glued or otherwise secured to the wall, and a second row of panels positioned in the same manner as the procedure explained with reference to the first row. The work is proceeded with in like manner until the wall facing is panelled.

Figs. and 6'depict panelling in which milled faces [3 of the backing, both vertical and horizontal, is adjacent to the wall surface. The panelling thus formed may be positioned on a wall in the reverse manner to that previously explained, that is, instead of milled faces l3 being adjacent the existing wall surface they would be outward from. the said surface, and the faces I of the panels would be cemented or otherwise secured to the Wall surface.

Fig. 7 illustrates a modified form of backing with neither of faces H3 or l9 thereof being milled.

In this modification it would be desirable to secure the backing with face [8 in juxtaposition to the wall as the decorative effect of the panelling is superior with the unmilled face of the backing recessed with relation to the faces of the panels.

Of capital importance is the fact that the component elements of the improved panelling may be prefabricated in large quantities to provide a wide range of highly decorative interior or exterior Wall facin capable of being assembled by unskilled workers, such as home owner, a

Y handy man, or the like. The many types of plyto produce the desired bevel grooved edges, although, as previously stated, other component materials may be employed.

Furthermore, the position of the horizontal and 1 vertical backing members may be reversed when constructing a wall, that is the relatively long horizontal backing may be used as the vertical supports and the short vertical backing utilized as the horizontal. supporting members.

In its broader aspects, the invention comprehends the employment not only of the means described, but of equivalent means for perform- It is desired to reserve ing the recited functions. the right to effect such changes as may fairly come Within the scope of the appended claims.

.' We claim:

1. A wall panelling comprising, in combination,

having straight edges and bevels, the outer ends of the bevels coinciding with the edges of one of the faces of the backing, the bevel grooves of the panels adapted to interlock at all edges thereof with the bevel grooves of the backing when the backing, vertical and horizontal, is positioned between horizontal and vertical rows of panels.

2. Wall panelling as described in claim 1 wherein the horizontal and vertical backing is of greater thickness than that of the panels, and said backing is adapted to be secured to the wall to support the panels.

3. Panelling comprising, in combination, a plurality of identically sized sheets, each sheet having two faces and four edges, with the opposite edges of the sheets in parallelism, the sheet being continuously bevel grooved on all four edges thereof, each groove being deep and having straight edges and. bevels, the outer ends of the bevels meeting and coinciding with the edges of one of the faces of the panels, the outer ends square, thin, panels having two faces, said panels bevel grooved at four edges thereof, the bevel grooves being deep and having straight edges and bevels, the outer ends of the bevels and the of the straight edges and bevels being in the same plane, said plane at right angles to the faces of the panels, horizontally disposed backing complementally bevel grooved on opposite longitudinal edges, said backing of greater thickness than the sheets for interlocking with and spacing apart the sheets, the bevel grooves of the backing having bevels and straight edges, the outer ends of the bevels coinciding with the edges of one of the faces of the backing, vertically disposed backing similarly bevel grooved for'spacing apart the sheets, the bevel grooves of the sheets adapted to interlock at all edges with the bevel grooves of the backing when the backing, horizontal and vertical, is positioned between horizontal and vertical rows of the sheets.

FRED RIENAU.- JOHN F. GERMAIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 377,685 Momberg Feb. 7,1888 392,902 Blakeney Nov. 13, 1888 480,183 Duff Aug. 2, 1892 2,115,270 Leash Apr. 26, 1938 2,276,071 Scull Mar. 10, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 163,464 Switzerland 1933 735,134 France Nov. 3, 1932 

